Her chief accuser - Pierre Cauchon - was also her judge. Cauchon, a Bishop of the Catholic Church, was a man whose strongest loyalties were to himself and to his own ambitions.

After three weeks of cross examination, Cauchon had not broken Joan of Arc. With incredible courage, Joan warned her accuser to "take heed" that he "not judge [her] wrongfully." Cauchon threatened Joan with death by burning if she were found guilty of heresy, but Joan reminded him of the penalty of eternal damnation if he continued to be unfair and biased in his responsibilities.

What facts had brought this young woman to trial? On whose authority was she being tried without legal representation? What crimes could she have committed that resulted in a charge of heresy, among other things?

To understand the trial, and the basis of the charges against Joan, we have to take a trip back to the Middle Ages. We have to examine what life was like back then. We have to understand who Joan of Arc was, and why her story still fascinates us 570 years later.